EPISODE 1 1

A union journeyman plumber loses his father suddenly, witnesses how deputies handle the call, and decides that night to become a police officer.

Over the next 31 years he rises through LAPD’s most demanding units (Metro Division and Special Investigation Section), sees the Rampart scandal from the inside, receives the devastating call about Randy Simmons, and retires at the absolute top tier of the department.

Now, for the first time, he speaks candidly: the real punishment is rarely the penalty itself — it’s the years-long Internal Affairs process that can destroy marriages, finances, reputations, and careers even when the officer is completely exonerated.

Calm, measured, and brutally honest from a respected career-long operator who lived every side of it.

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Mark's Info:

Website: https://flashbang-apparel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashbang_mark/?hl=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashbang_industries/?hl=en

Time Stamp:

0:00 Plumber to Cop

9:00 Dad Dies → Badge

18:00 Rampart Lies

28:00 Process = Punishment

40:00 SIS Truth

52:00 Randy Call + Walked Away

58:00 Final Advice

Retired Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama (former Oklahoma City PD Deputy Chief) joins Host Marlon Marrache on The IA Guy A Police Podcast for a candid conversation that goes far beyond IA horror stories.

From growing up in Texas, surviving Oklahoma’s tornado culture, and rising through the ranks, Chief Balderrama shares the agonizing reality of adjudicating terminations, why he overturned six recommended firings (and which ones came back to haunt him), the alcohol crisis in law enforcement, and why the hardest part of being chief wasn’t gang sweeps — it was deciding someone’s career and family’s future.

A rare chief’s perspective on fairness, second chances, the stigma of Internal Affairs, and what aspiring cops need to hear before they pin on the badge. Raw, honest, and deeply human.

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Paco's Info:

Website: https://www.chiefpaco.com/

Website: https://elmatadorconsulting.com/

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paco-balderrama-2779ab104/

Time Stamps:

01:10 Tornado Alley Stories

04:20 Why Internal Affairs is Always Taboo

06:30 The 6 Terminations He Overturned

11:15 Firing Cops Kept Me Awake

19:20 Academy Lies About IA

42:30 Saved a 30-Year SWAT Vet

57:30 Worst Call: Man Dies in His Arms

1:05:50 Final Advice

In a powerful and candid conversation, 25-year FBI veteran Chris Piehota joins host Marlon to pull back the curtain on the Bureau’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

He reveals how the investigative process itself has quietly become the primary form of discipline, how minor, good-faith errors can trigger months of professional isolation and uncertainty, and how a post-9/11 shift toward zero-tolerance and risk aversion has left agents hesitant to take initiative.

Drawing from his own experience with an inadvertent over-collection case that spiraled into an OPR ordeal, Piehota contrasts today’s climate with the supportive “old-school” leadership that once protected agents while still holding them accountable.

This unflinching discussion sheds light on why many seasoned agents now retire disillusioned and what must change to restore morale, trust, and effectiveness inside America’s premier law enforcement agency.

A must-listen for every federal, state, and local law enforcement professional.

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Chris Piehota's Info:

Website: https://www.yf5solutions.com/home

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispiehota/

Book: https://a.co/d/i0DXyNy

X: https://x.com/chrispiehota?s=20

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@UCiRwtDsuGIi6Q7XTArR4sEg

Time Stamp:

1:05 Internal Affairs Stigma

3:40 The Process Is The Punishment

6:15 Over-Collection Nightmare

13:50 Zero-Tolerance Kills Initiative

19:30 Agents Retiring Broken

23:20 One Change Chris Would Make

28:45 Post-9/11 Culture Shift

33:10 9/11 from Newark

37:55 Final Advice

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman—author of On Combant—returns to The Internal Affairs A Police Podcast with host Marlon Marrache. Building on our ongoing talks about the real role of Internal Affairs, Grossman exposes sleep deprivation as the force’s deadliest blind spot.

Grossman hands over the playbook: 1)Seven hours minimum: enforce it 2) Pitch-black sleep: grab a mask 3) Caffeine cutoff at noon: no debate 4) One full cycle before any OIS interview.

Under fire, the mind fractures. Tunnel vision. Blackouts. One in five officers swears to scenes that never existed. Body-cam review comes first. Skip it, and Internal Affairs risks false narratives and broken trust!

When exhaustion triggers failure, the chain of command answers—not the officer.

“More officers die by suicide than bullets."

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Lt Colonel Grossman's Info:

Website: https://grossmanontruth.com/

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lt-col-dave-grossman-55a3304/

Time Stamp:

00:30 Intro & Military Banter

02:15 The Secret Weapon: Sleep in Sports & Military

05:40 Sleep on Duty: Discipline or Disease?

08:30 24 Hours Awake = 0.10 BAC

12:10 Sleep Hacks That Save Lives

16:45 Why IA Gets a Bad Rap

20:00 Perceptual Distortions Under Fire

24:30 Bodycam Before Statement – Justice for All

28:50 Hold the Chain of Command Accountable

32:15 On Combat: The Book That Prepares Warriors

37:00 Final Charge: Stay in the Fight

39:30 Outro & Resources

Retired California Highway Patrol Assistant Chief Dr. Jonni Reddick joins the Internal Affairs A Police Podcast for a powerful, candid conversation.

From her first bitter encounter with IA as a young female officer to losing an officer under her command in the line of duty, Dr. Reddick shares the raw realities of discipline, leadership failures, and the human cost of the badge.

Now a doctoral-educated author, professor, and consultant, she discusses her memoir “Black, White and Blues: Surviving the Sifting,” the urgent need for people-centric leadership, and why law enforcement remains one of the most transferable and noble careers—if you’re willing to grow through the pain.

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Jonni's Info:

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonniredick/

Book: https://a.co/d/hUX0qOM

Website: https://leadershiphubtraininginstitute.org/

Time Stamps:

01:00 From Single Mom to Doctorate

06:30 First IA nightmare

10:40 The IA Process

14:00 Being a Woman In Policing

24:00 The Punishment Is The Process

29:30 Leadership Hypocrisy

38:20 Worst Incident In Career

48:00 The Book: Black, White & Blues

53:30 2025 Mission: Leadership Hub Nonprofit

56:00 Final Advice For Future Cops

Financial advisor turned cop Jamie Rayroux aka: Roux, joins The IA Guy A Police Podcast in Colorado to expose a shocking K9 bite cover-up.

After a rogue “Alligator” dog latches onto his calf, Jamie’s memo demanding accountability triggers a 4½-month IA witch-hunt, a retroactive PIP, and total ostracism.

From Arizona heat to Colorado snow, hear how one whistleblower’s stand cost him promotions, trust, and nearly his career.

Essential listening for every cop who’s ever feared “the process is the punishment.”

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Roux's Info:

Website: https://621pw.com/

Time Stamp:

0:42 Jamie Rou from Colorado

4:10 IA must earn trust

10:05 Alligator K9 attack

16:45 Liability memo triggers retaliation

19:30 4 month IA stall

22:15 PIP kills promotion

25:00 Thin blue line hypocrisy

28:10 Spinnaker Health for retirees

29:45 Do the right thing

33:15 Closing: Codex

A prison godfather launches a 5-day kidnapping terror on a prosecutor’s father—retired gang-buster Brian Sanders, a retired Police Lieutenant and Host of "The Disruptors Podcast" reveals the chilling FBI rescue and how IA nearly derailed his career.

From botched warrants to punk mosh pits, he exposes weak IA interrogations, fake complaints, and the brutal truth about dirty cops.

Brian give explosive advice for rookies: fight gangs, embrace leadership, and never trust a summons!

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Brian's Info:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_disruptors_podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedisruptorswithbriansanders/featured

Time Stamp:

02:36 First Internal Affairs

06:04 IA Stigma

10:07 IA Advice

15:02 Hot-Seat experience

18:38 IA like Homicide

23:23 IA Guards Integrity

29:42 Dream: District Commander

33:57 Warrant Mix-up → Policy Fix

47:36 Prison Kidnapping Plot

57:16 Podcasts: Night Shift-Disruptors

1:02:24 Rookie Tip

1:04:41 Outro: Code six

For 15 years, Kris operated in the shadows of the Rio Grande as a DHS Inspector General agent, exposing badge-wearing traitors who smuggled humans and drugs for billion-dollar cartels.

In one heart-pounding night, he led a midnight breach to rescue a 14-year-old Honduran girl from a suicidal Border Patrol predator. In another, he blew the whistle on his own commander, triggering a DOJ takedown that sent the boss to federal prison for 37 months.

Now a PI, expert witness, and speaker with Marcus Luttrell’s Team Never Quit, Chris reveals the raw truth of internal affairs in his book In Valor: a 365-day Stoic battle plan to help cops conquer burnout, rebuild resilience, and police their own—before the job breaks them.

This is the untold story of courage on the thinnest blue line.

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Kris' Info:

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristofor-healey/

Time Stamp:

01:09 Cartel Confessions

03:10 Oig vs Opr War

04:19 Gulf Cartel Bloodbath

13:48 Shield The Clean

18:34 Paycheck Lie Exploded

22:31 Cartel Moles Planted

32:26 Doorstack Hell

40:40 Gunshot At Breach

43:28 Boss Cuffed

50:01 Whistleblower Purgatory

54:34 In Valor Unleashed

On this episode of Internal Affairs, former officer Kent Keller shares his unbelievable story of facing over ten IA investigations, including one for a minor, self-reported accident that got him placed on administrative leave!

Learn why he believes the system is broken, how it punishes good cops, and what needs to change to fix a process that often does more harm than good!

#policeforce #copstories #cops #lawenforcement #crime #policeofficer #internalaffairs #police #podcast #lapd #deputy

Marlon's Info:

Website: https://www.bluconsultinginc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaguypodcast/?hl=en

Linked IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-marrache/

Kent's Info:

Website: https://www.osmgmarketing.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/os_mediagroup/?hl=en

Time Stamp:

0:15 The "Real" Top Driver Award

1:45 First Thoughts on an "IA"

2:40 Why IA Has a Bad Reputation

4:50 Advice for New IA Investigators

8:30 Over 10 IA Investigations

9:15 The Ridiculous Pole Incident

15:20 The Worst Incident of His Career

18:30 From Cop to Media PIO

21:15 Final Advice for New Recruits